Sectional trackway



Patented Nov. 10, 1925.

PATENT orti-Qca; i

sEoTIoNAI'. ZIJ-RACKWAY.

.Appliati'on filed "February 223, .1922. 'Sr'ial JNo; 5385700'5 Columbus, in the c'ountyof 'Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented 'certain new and useful r1inprovernent's. .in Sectional Traokways, of which 'the following lis la V will as the description prc'ngrfessi-ifs,-y

specification.

This invention relates to an improved,

' readily laid .sectional tracklvvay, vandE has for its primary object the fprov'isi'on'oi'a track-way consistingwofv a plurality of-simi-A larly 'formed or duplicatesections I which have their adjoining ends removably yet securely connected together tore'tain lthesections of the 'track-Way in,l longitudinal* alignment, Without employing: the services oit' the ordi-nary fish platesjandtlre usu'al se-v curing devices associatedztherewitl1,: and ibrthe purpose of enabling the 'track-'ivay to,

be quickly laid, irrespective-oi underlying p y y f tionsbetween v'said ends, and

Yfoundation or 'ballastconditions Another object yoi the tinvention resides in the ,provision oi va sectional track-way united by means oi' an improvedhingeconnection, and Vvvherein the said.l connection is .strengthened and madejpjogssible by means of ashe'lf or chair `lplate riigidly'projeoting from the end of onefo'fs'aid sections ,and arranged to underlie the adjoiningA ends of the other of said sections,thearrangement being such 'that 'the passage /oi'rolling'stock' over the track-Way vv-i'lresult .in impart-'ing the lWeight `thereof substantially to fthe 'chair plates at the meeting ends of, the'rail sec-V tions, relieving 'the hinge 'connection from Y strain and thereby providing a i"trackwayvcarry-- generally of all I requisite strength Fory ing out 4its intended objects.

A further object of V4the invention're'stsirl the provision of a sectional t'rackeway' adapted for use especially vin iiind'ergroundlmiines, lfor providing a secure trackwa'y over which the A. Nnwron, Y

wherein each ofthe 'respective -meeting ends* of the rail sections `of the atrackway are offl a mine, and `also admit? 'oil'suliiiciei-iti trafi tive -fsur'face between the 'Wheels )oi'f fthe lloafd= ing 'mach-ine and the "tread surfaces-of the;

rails l' toA permit 'the loading machine, :by 'its ownV power, to fforce its wayfi-nto the ma# teri-alsitof'be oafded. e Y

VWVtli ltheseand Aother@objects in view, "that the invention `V'oe1fis`,istsf in th'enovell tentures oi4 construction, fo'ombnations l `of e'lerrlfents and arrangement" oiparts, .hereinatter fffuily described andpointedi out in 1 the appended claim-s.` y l `ln fthe-accompanying drawing', foi-ming; l

part-of `this/specificatiorli-: i

Figure 1i's 4a t'oppplan view oftheisifm proved sectional trackWV-ay comprising 'the present invention. n 'f FigureQ, is a side elevationvof-' the @meeting ends off a pa'ir" of :rail-sections .fof fthe track/- Wayv and `disc-lo'sing itfhe li-ifn'ge conne-c.-

"Figure-3, lis a vertical transverse fseotional view taken on gtheplane indicated by the'v line of' Figure'l.

` Referring more particularly 'to `-Pt'he det ail's of `t-hey invention, 'and 1"tothe"specific-:form of the flatter," disclosed in the @accoinp anyirng drawing, I provide the sectional track-Way 1', Whiehis formed, in this-.instantiate:ron-' sist ofa "plural'itiyvof"substantially duplicate sections "2 2 These sec-tions are-fof' any suit-A able "length, andf-,eac'hroffthe :said sections is` formed Eto include" a relatively broad l'orfwid'e tread suriace or 'web 13, arranged *for engagement Withfth'eitread surfaces lofvthe 'Wheel-s oiroi'ling stock ad'aptedto' pass lover the' track-way. render :the sections lifght, from .a standpoint'- -of weight, and yeti" to providev all: Adue requisite strength for fpracti'cal purposes, together Y with economy in' manufacture, the tread surface 'orf web -3 'Jol'ff each ,section "terminates onY l'th'e' inner: side thereof in a Ydrvvn'vvardlyy directedfsubstan-V tia-ily* vertical yWall 4,' i which Vin s t-urn terminates-in an inwardly directed substantially horizontally 'situated f lb ase Hnge 5, f 'and f the inner ledge 'of the 'flangel i5, is .ior'med integral with' anf-upstanding 'flongitudinalfly ex-A tending r-bl'.' It 'Willrbe observed that shy.

the rail flange of a truck wheel, whereby during the passage of rolling stock over the track-way the latter, by reason of its flexibly connected sections will serve to automatically provide its own wheel gage. This construction is of primary importance in con nection with emergency tracks.

To flexibly connect the meeting ends of said sections, l employ a hinge connection, designated generally by the numeral 8. This hinge connection is substantially the same as that discussed in the prior patent isA sued jointly to myself and W. lE. Moody, Number 1,357,584 and patented November 2, 1920. Therefore, I do not claim this hinge connection, per se, but merely in combinationwith other features above described and hereinafter specifically set forth, of thev track-way comprising the present invention. Each hinge connection consists of a pair of leaves 9 and 10, which in this instance are separately formed with the sections Vof the track-way but are permanently or rigidly secured thereto by 'means of fastening elements, for' example, the rivets 11. It is manifestly possiblev to integrallyk form the leaves 9 and 10 with the meeting ends of said sections if this construction is desired. However, it has been found advisable from a practical standpoint, to separately form said 'leaves to admit of economic repair of the track-way in the eventthat one of said leaves becomes fractured. It will be observed, by reference to Figurel, that the leaves 9 are located at one end of each of the sections of l the track-way, and the leaves 10 at the other ends of said sections, as regards the leaves 9, and that the said hinge connections are Idisposed on the outer sides'v of said sections immediately adjacent to the respective meeting ends thereof. The leaves 10 each include a vertical wall 12, which is adapted to be arranged in engagement with the vertical'outer'walls 13 of the rail sections 2, and immediately above the outwardly turned base flanges 14 of said rail sections', which flanges 14 are disposed substantially in the same vhorizontal plane as the flanges 5.` AThe rivets 11y are adapted to pass through the vertical walls 12 of the leaves 10 andalse ythrough the walls 18 of the rail sections.

Each of the said leaveslO is also formed Y with an outwardly directed horizontally eX- tending shelf 15, which is provided with a depressed outer end 16, which 'forms the pocket 17, in each of the leaves 10 contiguous to the end of the rail section upon which v the leaf 10 is mounted. This depressed outer end 16 is formed with a'relatively elongated lslot 18, adapted for the reception of the shank 1.9 of a locking stud 20, rigidly formed in connection with each of the leaves 9. The leaves 9 are similarly formed in a general way as the leaves 10 and include verti-V cal walls 21, arranged for engagement with the rail walls 13, and 'preferably riveted thereto as at 11. Also, the said leaves 10 have their vertical walls 21 terminate-d along the upper edges thereof in outwardly directed horizontally extending ears 22, upon which are formed the depending locking studs 20. It will be observed that each of these studs terminates at its lower end in an outturned laterally extending foot 28, which is proportioned so that when the leaves 9 are properly relatively positioned with respect to the leaves 10, the foot 23 of each stud will be capable of vertically entering the slot 18. It will be apparent by the virtue of this construction that to connect a rail section with a previously laid section, the sec-y .surface of the end 16, whereby upon oscillating the section to be laid horizontally and inwardly with respect to the track-way, the foot 23 will be forced to a position outf of registration with the slot 18, therebyylocking the sections together', and in substantially longitudinal alignment. If desired the sections may each be connected by bridles, but the use of such transverse ties is not necessary in the majority of instances, because of the previously described channel or groove 7 in each rail section which enables the track to be automatically gaged by the travel of truck wheels thereover.

provide each rail section contiguous to the end thereof carrying the hinge leaf 10, with a. rigidly secured underlying` chair plate 24. This plate, as shown in Figure 1, is permanently secured or formed with certain of the ends of section 2 and so proportioned that the said chair will project beneath and support the end of an aligning rail section, the said plate being secured to said sections adjacent to the leaves 10 and arranged to underlie the ends of the sections carrying the leaves ,9. By the provision of these plates it will be observed that I am enabled to employ the flexible hinge connection 8 and preclude undue breakage thereof. Thus, the chair plates 24 are so disposed as to underlie and bridge the gap` formed between the joints of the longitudinal rail sections at the meeting ends of the'latter, and therefore during the passage of rolling stock over the track-way, the weight ofsaid rolling stock will be to a very considerable extent directly imparted to the chair plates, instead of being transmitted to the hinge connections, as is the case in the patent previously referred to. Thus, in the event of 1, sangria anv insecure foundation for the tr1ackway,f

which condi-tion is constantly encountered 'in mine work particularly, the inclusion of theV andV preventing undue relative 'verticall movement' tl'iereb'eeween. The hinge con.

nections are thus enabledto possess a relatively ext-ended life and'will not break or fracture as they will do if unprotected when weightl of any considerable extent is imparted thereto. It will thus be seen that the present invention provi-des a track-way which especially is capable of being quickly laid, does not involve the use of fish plates, bolts, nuts and other similar fastening devices employed in track-way construction of ordinary form. This'track-way has been designed with a specific view in sight, that of enabling mining machinery to be readily advanced toward the working face of an underground mine. To secure eiiicient results from the use of such machinery and to maintain the same constantly in operation, in the majority of instances it is necess-ary that a track-way be provided to enable the machine to follow the face of a mine as the latter is worked out. Furthermore, the track must be capable of being quickly laid under adverse conditions', such for example, as a bad floor covered with water, ore or coal particles. Moreover, loading machines especially are adapted to be forced into the materials to be loaded under their own power and -therefore to secure this action it is necessary that the rails shall possess broad treads to permit of sanding thereof, or, generally stated, to provide the necessary tractive grip between the wheels of the loading machine and the rails of the track-way, to permit of the forcing of the machine into and under the coal or other material to be loaded. The present inven-' Y jecting horizontally and outwardly from the end and the outer side of one of said rails, a shelf similarly projecting from the adjoining end of the other of said rails, a stud carried by the last named shelf and arranged to be located in th-e slot of said first named shelf when said rails are in longitudinally aligned connected relationship, and a chair plate projecting from the end of said rail carrying the slotted shelf and arranged to extend under' the rail' carrying thev other shelf t'ostrengthen the joint formed between said rails.

2. `In a sectional track-way, a pair ofrail sections, separable hinges secured to the re.-

f spectivef meeting ends off said sections,.and

a shelf rigidly formed withv the' end of `one of said sections and projecting:.looselybencath the other of said sections, at a-posiztion contiguous to vsaid hinge. membersVV 3.1nfa trackway., a rail section comprisingfa substantially hollow metallic body' inL j cluding a relatively broad horizontally ex- ,v

tending tread surface, said tread surface terminating at the longitudinal edges thereof in downwardly extending transversely spaced sides, base flanges extending outwardly from the lower edges of said sides and integrally formed therewith, and an upstanding rib formed with the inner of said so Y base flanges and serving to define a vertical receiving channel in said section.

4. A railway' track rail shaped to double channel form longitudinally to provide an approximately plane wheel tread surface and a wheel flange channel on one side and a plane supporting surfaceon the opposite side, and coupling element-s extending from a corresponding side at opposite ends of the rail for separably joining the rail treads to ythe adjacent rails.

5. A rrailway track rail shaped to double channel form longitudinally toprovide an approximately plane wheel tread surface and a wheel flange channel on one side and a plane supporting surface on the opposite side, coupling elements extending from a corresponding side at opposite ends of the rail for separably joining the rail treads to the adjacent rails, and a chair plate extending from one longitudinal end of the rail and at the base of the rail to provide a support for the end of the adjoining rail.

6. A railway rail for a portable track shaped to double channel form longitudinally to provide a wheel tread surface and wheel flange channel on one side of the rail,

and a plane supporting surface on the opposite side, coupling elements projecting from the oppositeA longitudinal ends of the rail adapted to be engaged with a Second rail when the latter is in an angular position and interlockingly joined when the sections are in linear position. y

7. A railway track rail shaped todouble channel formlongitudinally to provide an approximately plane wheel tread surface and a wheel flange channel on one sideof the rail anda plane supporting surface-onv the opposite side, coupling ele-ments projecting from the opposite longitudinalends of the rail adapted to be engaged with a second rail when the latter is in an angular position and interlockingly joined when the sections are in linear position, the said rail hav 'Y ing the opposite longitudinal ends thereof angularly cut to admit of limited inward flexing of said rails.

8. A railway track rail shaped to double channel form longitudinally to provide an approximately plane wheel tread surface and a wheel flange channel on one side and a plane supporting surface on the opposite side, exible coupling elements at each of the ends of said rail for detachably connecting the latter with adjoining rails, the said rail having the opposite longitudinal ends thereoi angularly shaped to produce av V- into track gage by the passage of rolling stock thereover.

9. In a track-way, co-operating track sections, each comprising a tread portion and supporting means at the opposite edges of the tread portions, and means for movafbly 'connecting the sections at one of said supporting edge portions.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

NORTON A. NEWDICK. 

